The New Reality
by nyislandersgirl
Summary: After being mistreated by her boyfriend, Misty turns to the one who she originally left for him. As they grow closer again, however, a shocking discovery threatens to not only tear them apart, but put Misty's whole life in danger. Mentions of abuse; nothing graphic.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, everyone! As we all know it's summer now, which is the best month because no school and all play! Most of you are used to my cutesy, fluffy stories, so I figured as a little summer project, what if I try to write a story that's a little bit outside my comfort zone? Rest assured, there will be some sweet moments, but this is not a 100% happy story. There will be plenty of drama, and plenty of angst. So, if you would all like to join me on this little adventure, I would greatly appreciate it!**

**Let's get the boring stuff out of the way: I do not own Pokémon. Trust me, if I did, it would be a whooole lot different. As a result, I do not own any characters in this story except for any OCs who may appear throughout the story. **

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"Get the hell back here!"

Misty snarled and slammed the painted white door behind her, completely ignoring the loud yells that were coming from behind it. She didn't care anymore. She had taken enough from that man, and she wouldn't take anymore.

She had to get away.

Her teeth clenched so tightly together that her jaw began to hurt, Misty stormed down the long hallway of the apartment. By the time she had reached the end of the hall, where the silver doors of the elevator waited for her, the white door that Misty had just slammed shut was opening again, this time to reveal her current combatant. Holding her breath, Misty pounded the down button of the elevator in as many times as she possibly could, mentally beginning for it to arrive as quickly as possible. When the angry man was just several feet behind her, the silver doors slid open and allowed Misty access into the small cube lined with dark oak. Once inside, she began to pound on the close button and, as soon as the man had reached those two silver doors, they became sealed shut, blocking his view of the angry and horrified red head inside the shaft. Growling to himself, the man squeezed his eyes shut before punching the closed doors out of sheer anger.

Despite now being safe inside of the elevator, Misty could still hear the sound of the man's fist hitting the metal reverberating throughout the small room she was now in. It startled her, perhaps even more so than being chased by him. Letting out one more shuttered gasp, Misty pressed her back against the half mirrored wall of the elevator and allowed herself to slide down to a crouch, keeping her tear filled cerulean eyes on the placket of lighted numbers as she was brought down lower and lower into the building.

Fortunately for her, the elevator hadn't stopped to let anyone else in, although she couldn't really be surprised that it hadn't. At last check on her cell phone, it was just past midnight. No regular person was out and about at this time on a _weeknight. _When it finally reached the lobby, Misty breathed out heavily and pulled herself back up into a standing position. The doors opened up once again, but this time to a wide open space, and not just some narrow hallway. The lobby was absolutely beautiful, made predominantly of white marble and hand carved gold, but Misty didn't have time to stop and admire the scenery. Hopefully, she would never have to come back and see that room again.

Stepping out of the small cube, Misty briskly made her way across the smooth floor, the sound of her black heels clicking against the marble breaking the otherwise pristine silence that had filled the lobby. Without so much as a second thought, Misty walked past the red velvet couches and dark oak fireplace, eyes still burning from the remaining tears as she made her way to the front door of the building. It was late enough now that even the doorman had turned in, and no one could get inside without a call into the concierge. Using the side of her body, Misty pushed open one of the gilded gold doors and freed herself into the stark darkness that was Viridian City at night. It was early April, so the air was still crisp, but not enough to bite at her delicate ivory skin. Misty could make it without a coat, which was good since she didn't have one on her person. She thought she'd be spending the night in _his _apartment.

Oh, how wrong she'd been.

Not exactly knowing what else to do, Misty began to walk down the sidewalk, trying to get herself to calm down. Her heart rate was beginning to go down at least. In the elevator before, when she'd stared straight into the eyes of that man, she was certain she nearly had a heart attack. It had been such a cold, angry glare. Misty had never been that afraid in all of her life. Well, maybe a few times…

No. She didn't want to think about it anymore. None of it. Misty violently shook her head, as if that would get all of the bitter, painful memories out of it. There was no way to do that. All Misty could do was try her best to forget it all on her own. It wouldn't be easy, and it might have been downright impossible. But it couldn't hurt to try, she supposed.

By the time Misty had come to that conclusion, she had already reached the corner of the sidewalk. She stared up into the nighttime sky, barren of any stars due to all of the lights in Viridian, and tried to come up with an idea. Misty had no idea what to do. But, surprisingly enough, she felt the need to be with _someone_. She didn't want to be alone. Not after what had just happened.

Biting her lip, Misty reached into her bag and pulled out her cell phone, dialing the number of a taxi service she was accustomed to using. Within ten minutes, a taxi arrived at the corner and she got in, requesting to be taken to the Plaza Hotel in Vermillion City. Misty knew it would cost quite a bit of money, but she didn't care at the moment. She could afford it, and it would be worth it in the end.

Hopefully.

After a forty five minute ride, the cab stopped in front of a tall, lavish building surrounded by glass windows with a multitude of flags hanging off the façade. This certainly seemed like the right place.

She paid the driver and got out of the car, closing the door behind her as she made her way towards the front entrance. Two sliding glass doors parted as soon as she came within two feet of them, granting her entrance to the hotel lobby. It was quiet, similar to the lobby of the Viridian apartment complex she had just fled from, but at least this time there were other people hanging around, despite it being nearly one in the morning. Misty could see a small group of people drinking and quietly talking at the lobby bar, while a few business men were waiting to check in at the front desk.

Breathing out gently, Misty made her way over to the square in the center of the lobby, made up of four, gold satin couches surrounding a wrought iron fireplace that was roaring away, despite it being early spring. Curling her fingers up beneath her palm to form a tight fist, Misty squeezed her hand until she felt the surge of anxiety rush through her body before exiting via her fingertips. Pressing her lips together into a firm line, Misty reached into her bag and once again pulled out her cell phone, this time to call a different number on her phone. She held the small device in her fingers, holding it up against her ear and waiting with bated breath for the person on the other end of the line to answer it.

"_Misty?"_

They had. Good. At least she hoped it was good.

"Hi," she breathed weakly.

"_Why are you calling? And why are you calling so _late?_"_

Misty remained quiet for a short moment before replying, "Because…I need help."

"_Help? Why?"_

"I don't want to go into details," Misty growled.

"_How am I supposed to help you if I don't know what's wrong?"_

"Does it matter?" Misty tried to keep her voice level. "I need help! I…I don't want to be alone."

"_Misty…? What's going on?"_

The young woman finally let out a sniffle and hung her head in shame.

"Just help me. Please…Ash."

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**Cliffhangers :P**

**This is just a little preview of what's to come. This is the first chapter, of course, but it's also a preview! I need to get a feel for this story and some opinions on it. So, it would be greatly appreciated if you could leave me a review! Like I said, this is much different than what I'm used to writing, and I'd love to read some comments from you, the readers! They'll really help me in making this story the best that it can be :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**You guys liked the first chapter! :3 That makes me so happy, haha. Like I said, this isn't my usual style, so I wasn't sure how it was going to come out. I like this chapter even better than the first one (because it's the return of Ash, of course :P) so hopefully you'll all like this one too :D**

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Misty was still sitting on the gold satin couch when the elevator let out a mellow ring, announcing its arrival to the lobby. She looked over her shoulder and watched as the golden door slid open, a very familiar figure stepping out into the regal lobby.

Ash was taller than he had been as a kid, although Misty actually believed he might have actually gotten taller since the last time she'd seen him. His black hair was long and untamed, even more messy than usual. The outfit he wore was simple and…fairly inappropriate. It was just a black T-shirt and a pair of blue striped boxers. And there were a pair of red and black sneakers on his feet.

"Ash…why did you come down here in your _pajamas?_" Misty hissed, her eyes nearly falling out of her head.

"Because I just rolled out of bed," Ash replied rather groggily, resting his hand on the back of the couch where Misty was sitting. "You know, since _you _called me at one in the morning."

Misty narrowed her eyes but said nothing in response. She knew if she did it would be scathing, and the last thing she needed was to insult Ash. He _was _right, after all. She had called him for help, and hurling rude comments at him wasn't going to solve anything.

"How did you even know I was here, anyway?" Ash continued, sounding just as annoyed as he had before.

"I saw it on one of those celebrity news shows," Misty answered, wildly waving her hand in the air as if that would help her explanation. "You _are _the Kanto champion, after all. People go nuts over you."

Ash rolled his eyes at the last comment. He wished Misty would just give it up. "Whatever," he finally muttered. "But that still doesn't explain _your _outfit."

He pointed at the red head's body, causing her to look down. She was wearing a tight black peplum dress, with an intricate lace panel on her chest that rose up into a high neck.

"I don't need to explain anything to you," Misty grumbled, grabbing her bag and placing it on her lap as if that would cover up her outfit.

"You just called me down from my hotel room at one in the morning begging for help," Ash laughed dryly. "I think you _do_ need to give me an explanation."

Misty averted her eyes and put her head down, wondering silently to herself if calling Ash had really been the best idea. Ash was only becoming further aggravated, since Misty was blatantly refusing to answer him, but he held back his next snipe when he realized the red head sitting before him was trembling. Quite violently, in fact.

"Misty…" Ash whispered. "What's happening?"

Misty squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, the severity of the tremors running through her body only increasing. Concern instantly overtaking annoyance, Ash gently grabbed Misty by the arm and pulled her up, leading her towards the elevator. Once they were inside, the trip upstairs felt like an eternity to the both of them. Neither one spoke on the way up. They didn't even make eye contact. Instead, they just stared dead ahead at the sealed silver door, not moving a single muscle until the elevator reached Ash's floor: fifteen.

This time, Misty didn't need Ash to hold onto her in order to walk. She simply followed behind him, staring at the back of his unkempt raven head as he strode down the hallway, eventually stopping in front of the door that would lead them into his hotel room. The room key, which Ash had been holding in his hand the entire time, was soon crammed into a gold electronic plate and pulled out quickly, causing a green light above the slot to flash. With that out of the way, Ash pushed down on the gold handle of the door and swung the white slab back, stepping in and holding the door open for Misty. She gave him a polite and thankful nod in response, although she was still avoiding eye contact with him. Walking inside, Misty awkwardly stood in the center of the room until she heard the door close. That's when Ash came up behind her and awkwardly turned his eyes onto the single, king sized bed against the wall.

"Uh…you can sit down there…" Ash murmured.

Again, Misty nodded wordlessly and made her way over to the luxurious piece of furniture. She sat down on the gold brocade bedspread and smoothed out the skirt of her dress; all as an excuse to keep her eyes off of Ash. The aforementioned young man took a seat next to her, watching quietly as she continued to mess around with her dress. Finally, he found the courage to actually speak up and address the solemn young woman sitting next to him.

"Please tell me what happened," Ash requested softly.

"Where's Pikachu?" Misty asked instead, finally picking her head up to look around the room.

"He's at the Pokémon Center for some treatment," Ash replied tensely. "Now…stop changing the subject. What happened tonight?"

Again, Misty lowered her eyes. This time, instead of toying with her dress, she played with her long, slender fingers. She was beginning to feel more ready to tell Ash about what had happened, but she wasn't even sure of how to _explain_ it. Of where to begin.

It was all so complicated. And painful.

"Misty…" Ash warned, his temper obviously rising again.

"We got in a fight," Misty blurted out, not wanting Ash to get mad again.

The young man breathed out and pulled his shoulders back, furrowing his brow as he continued to carefully study Misty's face. "We? You mean you and-"

"Him," Misty finished acidly. "Yeah."

"What did you get into a fight about?" Ash questioned. "It must have been pretty bad if you ran off…and you're shaking like that…"

"It seemed so stupid, like it was nothing," Misty sighed, shaking her head. "I mean, we argue a lot. Maybe not as much as you and I did, but the fights I have with him are definitely worse. More severe, I mean. They escalate quickly, and they get scary."

"Okay…" Ash replied slowly, "but what was it about?"

"My job," Misty breathed out, staring ahead of herself at a painting that was hung on the golden wallpapered wall. It was of a mountain with the sun setting behind it. "I told him I had to miss one of his business dinners next week to go an informative meeting up at Indigo Plateau. And he got mad."

"So…you fought over that?" Ash inquired, trying to make sense of all of this.

"You know how he feels about my goal," Misty mumbled. "He doesn't respect it. He doesn't think it's sensible."

"But that's your dream," Ash pressed.

"I know it is," Misty sighed. "I want to be a member of the Elite Four…more than anything. You know that better than anyone. But he thinks I'm wasting my time on it. It's not easy, of course. Those are some of the best trainers in the world. He thinks I'm better off just staying a gym leader."

"So he doesn't respect your dream," Ash concluded, his voice quickly filling with venom.

"I suppose you could say that," Misty grumbled, casting her eyes down from the framed photo on the wall. This simple action tipped Ash off to the idea that there was more to this story than just that. He might have been a rather dense man, but that certainly didn't mean he was stupid. Especially when it came to Misty.

"There's something you're not telling me," Ash declared.

Misty didn't respond to that, and an all too familiar sense of concern rose in Ash's chest.

"What are you keeping from me?" Ash demanded.

Lips beginning to quake, Misty finally looked up at Ash with tear filled eyes and admitted, "He threw something at me."

Ash's eyes widened to an almost ridiculous size, while a vein popped out of his forehead. "What in the hell did he throw at you, Misty?"

Misty sniveled and covered her eyes with her hand before softly and miserably admitting, "A lamp. He tried to hit me with a lamp."

The vein that had appeared on Ash's forehead was soon joined by a second one. Instinctually, Ash grabbed Misty by the shoulders and began to examine her, looking for any cuts, bruises, or other signs of physical abuse.

"It missed," Misty managed to inform the horrified young man. "I…I got out of the way. It hit the wall instead and shattered. That's when I ran. I got out after that. And…and he came after me. But I got out in time. He didn't catch me."

Ash let go of Misty and smacked his hands against the top of the bed before standing up and charging towards the hotel room door. Although still shaken from admitting what had gone down in the apartment, Misty was able to get to her feet and catch up to Ash, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him back.

"Where are you going?!" Misty cried.

"Where do you think?!" Ash snapped, whipping around to face Misty. She gasped and took a step back when she saw the fire burning in the man's usually bright brown eyes. "I'm going to beat the crap out of him for doing that to you!"

"Ash, don't do that!" Misty begged, not letting go of his bare arm. His muscles were tense beneath her fingertips, and truth to be told, Misty loved the way it felt. It was a familiar feeling…it was comforting.

"Why shouldn't I?" Ash demanded, the veins still throbbing out of his head. "That…creep tried to hurt you! That is _not _okay! And I swear to everything that's good in this world if I get my hands on him-"

"Which you won't!" Misty warned as she squeezed Ash's arm more tightly. "_Please _just leave it alone, Ash. What he did was wrong, and it was completely terrifying. But it's over now. He's back in his apartment moping like the big wimp he is. If you go over there and try to kill him…it will only make things worse. Please…don't go."

Ash was still giving Misty a hard stare, silently questioning why he shouldn't head over to Viridian and crush the other man like a worthless bug type.

"Don't leave me alone," Misty finally whispered. "I need you."

This seemed to soften Ash up considerably. He let out a long sigh and dropped his angry expression, the veins retreating back into his head. Misty had always managed to have a calming effect on him. Smiling sadly, Misty took the hand of the now relaxed Ash and tugged him back towards the bed. They both took their previous sitting positions, once again stewing in silence for a very long moment. Then, it was Ash who again broke the reprieve between the two longtime friends.

"What happened to us?" Ash asked statically.

"Your fame happened," Misty replied gently. "And my jealousy. A combination of those things. They destroyed us, and everything we had."

Ash let out one sad, lowly laugh. "That was dumb, wasn't it?"

"Maybe it was," Misty conceded numbly.

More silence. Misty stared down at her hands, while Ash was now taking his own turn at studying the painting on the wall.

"We were perfect together," Ash added.

"We were," Misty hiccupped, her eyes filling with tears once again. Ash looked over at the young woman and realized she was still trembling. The incident with that monster of her, Ash presumed now _ex_, boyfriend had clearly shaken her up to an extent that Misty had never experienced before. Or Ash for that matter. He'd never seen Misty so scared before. Biting his lower lip, Ash leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Misty, trying to comfort her. Unfortunately for him, however, this only seemed to make matters worse.

Before he knew it, Misty had broken out into full on sobs. The weight of that night had finally fallen on her, and Misty felt like it had hit her all at once. It was overwhelming, and terrifying, and worst of all, it made her feel like a failure. Here she was, sitting with the man who was _perfect _for her. The man who was helping her through what was only the latest bout of abuse she'd had to deal with from the scum who had replaced him in her life.

And she had ruined it all thanks to her own uncontrollable jealousy.

Misty continued to bawl into Ash's chest, soaking his black T-shirt with her hot, burning tears. They streamed down her cheeks and fell like rain drops, the heavy breathing and hyperventilating brought on by the violent sobs hurting her chest and her head all at the same time.

"Misty, please don't cry!" Ash pleaded, still holding onto the red head and running his hands up and down her back. It didn't seem to be doing any good, however. Misty was way too worked up, and Ash was beginning to panic. He didn't see how he'd be able to get through to her. "Don't cry, Mist! You don't have to be upset! I'm here now…he won't hurt you!"

But she was still crying, still wailing. Ash didn't know what else to do. So, he allowed his brain to turn off and simply work on autopilot.

As it would turn out, doing this resulted in Ash pressing his hands against Misty's cheeks and smashing his lips against hers, locking them together desperately as he willed her to calm down.

The kiss was absolutely electrifying. Neither Ash nor Misty could deny that fact. The minute their lips touched, they both felt sparks. As soon as Ash turned his brain back on, however, and realized what he was doing, he gasped and pulled away from Misty, staring at the gym leader with wide, shock filled eyes. Misty, for what it was worth, looked just as surprised. Her face was flushed and her lips were trembling, but no longer out of sadness or fear.

"M-Misty…" Ash stammered.

And then, further escalating Ash's surprise, Misty jumped forward and initiated her own kiss with the Kanto champion. This time, Ash moaned and wrapped his arms around Misty's waist, pulling her closer to him while their lips were in contact. Eventually, he dragged Misty into his lap, his arms still holding onto her torso while she kicked off her black heels and encircled her legs around his own waist. She took of her hands and placed it gently on Ash's cheek, feeling his soft, tan skin beneath the palm of her hand.

During their vivacious lip lock, Ash ran one of his hands up Misty's back, until he located the tie on the back of her dress, which was fastened into a secure bow at the base of her neck. Misty gasped and pulled away from Ash, staring down at her former boyfriend with surprised but lustful cerulean eyes.

"I'm sorry…" Ash whispered, "I just-"

He stopped talking as soon as he felt Misty's hand overlap his own, tugging it out of the way so she could undo the bow at the back of her neck herself. The two strands of material fell down and over the front of her shoulders, the top of her dress beginning to slink down as she showed Ash a delicate smile for the first time that evening.

"There," Misty murmured. "That should make it easier for you."

And with that, Ash bowled them both over, Misty landing in the middle of the bed on her back as the raven haired champion hovered over her like a wild Pokémon who hadn't eaten for days.

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**Spicy ;D**

**So yes, Ash is back in the picture. But are they really back together? That fast? I'm not telling, you'll find out next chapter ;) But until then, you'll just have to think about it yourselves :P**

**All of your reviews from last chapter were super awesome and encouraging! Thanks so much for them! I'd love to see some more for this chapter as well ;) Tell me what you guys think and what your guesses are! On anything, really. They help me out with my writing!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the next chapter everyone! I can't believe the response I've gotten so far (it's amazing!) so I hope you'll all continue enjoying the story. This chapter is the longest one yet! So, sit back and enjoy the dramatics ;)**

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A month had passed since Misty's vicious argument with her ex-boyfriend, as well as her physical reconnection with Ash.

Neither she nor her ex had spoken since that night, so Misty didn't even know if they were "officially" broken up. She considered them to be, however, since she had no desire to ever see that creep again. Sometimes, before closing her eyes and going to bed, the terrifying scene would replay in Misty's head and send shivers up her spine. It was something she didn't want to remember, although her brain certainly didn't seem ready to forget it.

As for her relationship status with Ash, well…neither one was sure where _that _stood. They hadn't hooked up or even kissed since their hotel room tryst, but they were seeing each other more often, which was a vast improvement over what their relationship had become after the bitter breakup they'd both endured. It was a bit difficult, since Misty lived in Cerulean City where she ran the gym and Ash was still residing with his mother in Pallet Town. But they were hanging out enough to keep them both happy and satisfied.

Misty had to admit she liked having a connection to Ash again. Breaking up with him had been the most painful thing she'd ever experienced, and to be honest, she regretted it every single day. Deep down in her heart, Misty knew it was the right thing to do at the time, but it didn't hurt her any less. She figured if there was any chance for her to fix that with him, she was going to take it.

That made Ash special. Misty wouldn't do this for just _any _guy, after all.

Running the gym seemed to be harder for Misty as of late. She loved being a gym leader, of course, but Misty still had her dream of becoming a member of Kanto's Elite Four. Ever since that massive fight she'd had with her ex, in which he'd disparaged her dream and made a joke of it, Misty had been working twice as hard to try and achieve her goal. She'd been training for hours on end, in the early morning and late night, and in between gym challenges. It was wearing her down tremendously, but Misty refused to stop until that egotistical jerk saw her standing with the other three elite trainers. She would show him that she was no weakling, and that her dream was not something to be mocked.

Finally, however, all of the extra work Misty had been putting in seemed to be really affecting her. So much so, in fact, that even her three air headed sisters could tell that she was becoming frayed. One morning, while Misty was in the gym feeding her Pokémon after another intense training session, Daisy slunk in with a concerned look on her pretty young face.

"Misty, can we talk for a second?" Daisy requested, her voice soft and caring.

"I guess…" Misty murmured, looking over her shoulder to make sure all of the Pokémon had their food. They were all busy now, so she couldn't do anymore training at the moment. In the meantime, she supposed she could take a break herself and talk to Daisy.

"Let's go into the lobby," Daisy sighed, turning around and walking out of the battle room. Misty followed after her sister, staring at the back of the older female's head as her golden waves bounced around with every step she took. They walked through the gym's aquarium, where the glass walls were filled with water and water type Pokémon swimming around idly. Misty turned her attention away from her eldest sister's perfectly coiffed hair to instead watch one of their Luvdisc flutter through the blue liquid with a content little smile on its face. It swam right up to another Luvdisc, the two rendezvous Pokémon beaming and swimming circles around one another. This caused Misty to smile lovingly until a small pang of pain hit her in the chest. She wished she could be happy with someone else, just like those two. After her previous relationship had ended so abruptly, and darkly, Misty wasn't sure if such a feat was possible.

She and Daisy both sat down at one of the tables located in the gym's lobby, across from one another on the two benches. Misty watched as her older sister tucked a lock of hair behind her hair before folding her arms atop the table and giving Misty a quiet, worried stare.

"What?" Misty finally managed to ask.

"Misty, you're working yourself too hard," Daisy sighed, cautiously eyeing her youngest sister. "Violet, Lily, and I are all really worried."

"Why should you be worried?" Misty snapped, causing Daisy to flinch. It was not unusual for Misty to get mad like that, and quickly, but lately she'd been getting irritated even more easily than usual. Her patience level seemed to be extremely low.

"Because we're _family,_" Daisy replied as though it were obvious. "Why shouldn't we be concerned about you?"

"I don't know, maybe because you've never given a damn about me before," Misty muttered.

Daisy gasped and folded her arms across her chest. "That's not fair, Misty. We _do _care about you. A whole lot, in fact! I honestly think you're just upset because you broke up with your boyfriend, and you refuse to tell us why."

"It's not a big deal," Misty scoffed. "We just weren't working out, okay? Drop it."

"Fine, I won't say anything else," Daisy conceded, holding her hands out in front of herself as a sign of surrender. "But that doesn't change the fact that I think you're pushing yourself too hard. You're beginning to look sick, Misty!"

"I'm just tired, that's all," Misty argued. "It's been hard to get sleep lately."

"Why's that?"

"I don't know, it just is," Misty grumbled, not wanting to share her recent history of reoccurring nightmares with her sister.

"Does that also explain why I almost saw you pass out yesterday?" Daisy pressed.

Misty bit her lower lip and thought back to the previous afternoon, when she had been running laps with some of her Pokémon. Daisy had been sitting up in the bleachers, looking through some wedding magazines. She hadn't stopped doing that, in fact, since her engagement several months prior. Midway through her set number of laps, however, Misty stumbled and nearly fell forward. She had, luckily enough, been saved by Politoed before hitting her face on the concrete, but the shrill cry she'd let out as she tumbled had caught the attention of Daisy. That's when the blonde had gasped and completely panicked, fumbling down the stairs as she'd ran towards Misty and began to examine the flushed and flustered younger woman.

Back in present time, Misty simply shrugged as her response to Daisy's question. She was really sick of talking about this kind of stuff. Misty was well aware she was probably overworking herself, but she didn't care. All she had left at this point was her dream, and she wasn't about to let it go. She also had her slowly rebudding friendship with Ash, but Misty didn't want to take it too fast and screw everything up again. So, working and training were really her only choices at the moment. Who could blame her for doing too much?

"Look," Daisy sighed, sensing that Misty wanted this conversation to end as quickly as possible, "I just want you to slow down a little bit, alright? I'm not asking you to throw away your goal. All I'm asking is that you don't kill yourself over it. Can you do that for me?"

Misty rolled her shoulders back and eyed Daisy through the bottom of her orange fringe. The blonde still looked concerned, but at least she no longer seemed as rabid about getting Misty to calm down. She just wanted to hear what she wanted to hear.

"Yeah, I can try," Misty murmured in response.

Daisy finally showed off a smile as she got to her feet. "Good! I'm glad." She walked over to Misty and gently patted the younger woman's shoulder before informing her, "I'm off to go meet Tracey at the coffee shop. We have some more wedding details to discuss. You'll be alright here alone?"

"Yes, Daisy," Misty drawled, rolling her eyes once the older woman was standing behind her and couldn't see her face. "I'm this gym's leader. And I'm not five years old; I'm twenty two. I'm sure I'll be fine on my own."

"Just checking!" Daisy replied in a sing song voice. She grabbed her white denim jacket off the coat rack by the door and slipped it on over her pink blouse, blowing Misty a kiss before walking out of the sliding glass doors and heading out.

Misty sighed and shook her head, sliding off of the bench and getting back to her feet. As soon as she did, however, a feeling of lightheadedness overtook her, causing Misty to gasp and press a hand against the side of her head.

"Whoa…" Misty breathed. "That was…sudden."

She took a step forward, deciding it would be best for her to try and walk it off. Within the first few steps, however, Misty felt the lightheadedness morph into an overwhelming sense of nausea that attacked her so quickly she didn't even have time to make it to the bathroom. Instead, she had to settle for the garbage can by the door of the lobby.

As soon as she was done retching, Misty stood back up with an obvious look of disgust on her face. She certainly hadn't been expecting _that. _Not to mention it was completely gross. The last time Misty had thrown up was the night she had gotten far too drunk with her…stupid ex-boyfriend. Just the thought of him made Misty want to puke again, so she decided to get off of that topic.

After cleaning up her mess and making sure there was no remaining evidence of what had just happened, Misty brought herself into the bathroom to get herself together. She turned on the sink and splashed her face with cold water, feeling grateful that she had chosen not to put makeup on that morning. While she was busy refreshing herself, Misty thought about how strange getting ill had been. Sure, she had been feeling tired as of late, and a little weak, but she hadn't had a stomachache or anything of the sort. And she hadn't eaten anything that could have made her sick. Hell, she didn't even have cramps from her-

Wait.

"My period," Misty muttered to herself, standing up to her full height and staring at her face in the mirror. Her skin was obviously pale, which was pretty bad when her skin was already ivory to begin with. Once you could actually tell she was pale…that was bad. Closing her eyes, Misty mentally counted back to the last time she had been visited by her monthly friend. It had been at least a month…a month and a half?

_Six weeks? _Misty thought miserably to herself as she opened her eyes. _That's not right…that's not right at all._

"…crap."

**XXX**

Ash loved being at home and not working.

Sure, being the Kanto champion was a lot of fun. Ash loved battling and training, but taking time off was great too. Especially since he was still living in Pallet Town with his mother. Delia was very attached to her son, and had no qualms about his returning home. She had missed so much time with him already due to all of his travels, after all. It was fun to have him back in the house, ravenously eating every single mea she prepared and helping her with the housework that was usually just left up to her and Mimey.

Shortly before lunch, as Delia was setting the table, she stood up just in time to see Ash running past the house, with Pikachu hot on his heels. She smiled at the duo, knowing full well they'd soon be trampling up the front steps and looking for some food. Ash had really grown over the last few years, and he certainly wasn't a little boy anymore. Of course, he'd always be her baby, but now he was undeniably a man, as hard as that was for Delia to face. Ash was her only son, after all! Her only child, in fact.

"Hey Mom! Is lunch almost ready?"

Delia gasped and spun around. She had obviously been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't even heard Ash come up the front steps or even re-enter the house. He looked a handsome mess: hair matted down with sweat that also glistened on his face and neck. He had gone hatless, as he always did when he went running, and was dressed in red and black workout clothes that were equally dampened with sweat. Pikachu, who looked just as tired as his trainer, was slumped down by Ash's sneaker covered feet, panting as his ears bobbed up and down.

"Yes dear, just about!" Delia giggled. "Why don't you head on upstairs and freshen yourself up before we sit down? You look a little rundown!"

"Sure thing," Ash chuckled, turning his attention down onto the small yellow Pokémon sitting by his feet. "Come on Pikachu! We're gonna' clean up a bit before lunch."

"Kachu," Pikachu murmured, reluctantly getting to his little paws and scampering after Ash up the stairs.

Ash was still residing in his childhood bedroom, but it really wasn't all that bad. Except for the bed. Ash was a little too big for it now, height wise. Delia had been looking into getting a new bed for him, something that would fit his adult frame. Ash didn't know if that was necessary though. As much as he loved living at home with his mother, he knew he should begin looking for a place of his own. After all, he was twenty two years old and champion of Kanto. He had plenty of fame and certainly enough money to get his own place. Ash just hadn't looked hard enough yet. Part of him also wasn't interested, even though he knew it was the right thing to do.

He gathered up a single towel and headed into the bathroom, planning to take a quick shower before his meal. While he did that, Pikachu went for a quick rinse in the bathroom sink. Ash had made sure to run the faucet before getting in the shower so the water would be warm enough for Pikachu. By the time Ash was done rinsing his body and hair, and had climbed out of the shower with the towel wrapped tightly around his waist, Pikachu was just jumping out of the sink and back onto the counter, shaking his fur out and getting water all over the walls, floor, and mirror.

"Guess I'm gonna' have to clean _that_ up later," Ash sighed as he shook his head. "Thanks a lot, buddy."

Pikachu smirked slyly at his playfully flustered trainer, a look of satisfaction plastered on the mouse's face. "Chu!"

Despite the small mess he had made, Ash still allowed Pikachu a ride back to his bedroom on his shoulder, much to the electric type's delight. Once they were back in the room, Pikachu jumped off onto Ash's bed and curled up into a ball on the middle of it, wanting to take a short rest while his trainer redressed. Before Ash could even get his hands on a fresh shirt, however, his cell phone began to ring. Quite incessantly, in fact.

"Pika…" Pikachu complained from up in the bed.

"Oh, quiet you," Ash teased. "It's not like _you _have to answer it! Besides, you can't fall asleep anyway. Unless you want to go without lunch for the day, that is."

"Ka!" Pikachu quickly refuted such an idea.

Chuckling, Ash walked over to his desk and picked up the black device, staring at its front to see who was calling. A familiar picture was showing on the screen: that of a young woman with fiery red hair, clear cerulean eyes with one closed in a flirtatious wink, and her hands hidden behind her back. Ash had taken it while they were still dating, but had never bothered to change the picture. Not even after they had broken up. Smiling to himself, Ash accepted the call and held the phone up to his ear.

"Hey, Mist!" Ash greeted far more jovially than the night she had unexpectedly called him in Viridian just about a month ago. "What's up?"

All he got in response was a sniffle. And not one indicative of illness. It was sad; a telltale sign that she had been crying. Ash knew his former flame very well, and if he had to guess, she'd probably been crying for some time based on how haggard that one sniffle had been.

"Is something wrong?" Ash murmured, his heart beginning to hammer away in his chest. "Please don't tell me he came back, Misty, because this time I swear-"

"_It's not him,"_ Misty finally spoke, her voice cracking with obvious emotion.

"Thank goodness," Ash whispered, his heart rate slowly returning back to normal. "But why are you so upset? Something else must have happened, right? Was it your sisters?"

"_No. It wasn't them."_

"Misty, tell me what's wrong," Ash pleaded. He felt like they were back in that hotel room, sitting on the bed with him trying to get the truth out of her. That night had been just as painful for him as it had been for her. Finding out your ex-girlfriend, who you may or may not still be secretly in love with, had been abused by the man who had taken your place in her life weighed heavily on Ash every single day. He couldn't help but to feel that he was partially responsible for it. If he had never given Misty a reason to break up with him-

"_I'm so scared, Ash,"_ Misty sobbed, causing him to furrow his brow. _"I don't know what to do!"_

"I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong," Ash replied. Hearing those words come out of his trainer's mouth had caused Pikachu to pick his head up out of curiosity. Something definitely wasn't right; Pikachu could sense it.

"_If I tell you…do you promise you won't get mad at me?"_

Ash's heart fell at this. He didn't know if it was because he was afraid of whatever it was Misty wanted to tell him, or because she really thought he would get mad at her for telling him something important.

"Misty…"

"_You have to promise, Ash! You really, really have to promise. I mean it. Promise me you won't get mad. Please."_

Ash let out a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut as he slowly nodded his head. "I won't get mad, Misty. I promise. You have my word. I'm listening. Whatever you have to tell me, just say it. And I won't get mad."

"…_I'm pregnant."_

Ash nearly dropped the phone. He really did. He felt his hand go weak, and then numb. His eyes widened, his heart all but stopped. He couldn't move, and he could barely breathe. He sure as hell couldn't respond.

"…_Ash?"_ Misty squeaked timidly from the other end.

No response.

"_Say something,"_ Misty begged. _"Please…?"_

Finally finding some strength within his body, Ash shakily pulled out the desk chair and slumped down in it, training his chocolate brown eyes on the hardwood floor and refusing to move them anywhere else in the room. Not even up to the wall. Or to his dresser. Nowhere but the floor.

"_Ash…"_

"I…I don't know…" Ash stammered, his chest tightening as his voice struggled to come out. "I don't know if I'm…if I'm ready for that, Misty…to do that…to be…"

"_A father?"_ Misty murmured, finishing for Ash once she realized he couldn't get the word out.

"Yeah…" Ash muttered weakly. "That."

"_Well, that's the other thing…"_ Misty breathed, her voice growing quite heavy again.

That caught Ash's attention even more than the first bit of news, as strange as that might have sounded. He sat up straight, pulling his shoulders back and furrowing his brow as a sense of fear crept over him. "What do you mean, Misty?"

"…_you might not be the father."_

* * *

**That's right, I went there :P**

**By the way, I'm sure you've all figured it out by now, but there's a reason I'm only referring to Misty's ex as "him" and "he" and with no name. The guy is still a mystery, for now. Who knows, it might even change based on your reactions! So for now, no, I'm not telling ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

***Cowers behind a random tree* Please don't kill me...**

**I know it's been like, forever, since I updated this story. To be perfectly honest, I got a little sad for a while and didn't want to write much angst. I wanted to write happy stuff, like my one shots and A New Era (so many shameless plugs.) But, I know that this story has a lot of fans, and the LAST THING I want to do is let you all down. **

**Besides, this is the longest chapter yet! Can you forgive me now? Please? :3 Either way, it's a new chapter! So, you can be miffed but still read it if you want. I won't tell you what to do :P**

* * *

"…_you might not be the father."_

Those six words were like a dagger to the heart.

Ash had been running them through his head ever since the previous afternoon, when Misty had first called and informed him that she was pregnant. He didn't exactly _want _to be a father, not yet anyway. But the idea of Misty carrying someone else's child was sickening to Ash. _He_ wanted to be the father of her children! One day. Not now. But maybe he was. Maybe it was too late now. Unless the baby wasn't actually his. But Ash didn't want that either.

He knew he couldn't run right out of the house to another city so soon after the call. His mother would grow suspicious, and this wasn't news she needed to hear until Ash was sure that the baby was his. So, he'd promised Misty he would visit her the next morning, and they would take care of the situation together.

Delia had no problem with Ash leaving to spend the day in Cerulean. She loved Misty like a daughter, and had been _devastated_ when she had broken up with Ash. From what he understood, Ash's wedding to Misty had been all but planned inside his mother's head. It was a bit strange…okay_, very_ strange, but Ash found it sweet that his mother loved Misty so much.

_She might not love her so much when she finds out about this, though…_

Ash had left Pikachu behind for the day. The little mouse wasn't happy about it, but Ash knew he couldn't have Pikachu around while he and Misty were discussing her…pregnancy.

_That's a weird word to associate with Misty. I'd better get used to it, I guess. Especially if that's really my kid…what do I do if it is? Champion of Kanto getting a girl pregnant from a one night stand really doesn't sound too good, does it?_

As the Cerulean City gym came into view, Ash bit his bottom lip. He was so nervous to see Misty again. He had last seen her about two weeks ago, so she must have been pregnant then too. But that was different…neither of them had _known! _Now they did, and it was strange.

_Is she going to look different? Is she going to actually look pregnant already? I don't know if I can handle that. But if I can't even handle _seeing _her pregnant, then how the hell am I supposed to raise a kid? She's going to beat me, I just know it._

Ash trudged down the path, a million different thoughts clogging up his head. Fortunately, once he actually got down in front of the gym, he realized he didn't actually have to go inside. Misty was standing by the sliding glass doors, obviously waiting for him. Ash managed to take a quick peek at her midsection, and saw that she looked just as the same as the last time he saw her. No telltale sign of pregnancy. She also looked rather impatient, but at the same time, quite nervous.

It was apparent that Misty was scared. Probably even more so than Ash.

"Hi," Ash greeted softly. Misty looked up at him, causing Ash's heart to leap into his throat. Her eyes were completely bloodshot, and dark circles were visible beneath them. Misty had obviously spent a good portion of the night awake and crying.

"Hi," Misty muttered in response before putting her head back down.

"You don't have to be so afraid of me, you know," Ash reasoned, stepping closer to Misty whose head shot up in response. "I promised you I wouldn't be mad, and I meant it."

"I'm not afraid," Misty scoffed, finally getting to her feet and standing at her full height in front of Ash. She was only a few inches shorter than him at this point, but it was still a bit strange for the both of them to have Ash actually standing taller than Misty. Her defiant response to Ash's accusation was enough to bring a smile to his face, which only confused his longtime friend, and ex-girlfriend, all the more.

"What?" Misty demanded. "What's so funny?"

Ash smirked and shook his head. "Nothing is funny. You're just being typical Misty is all. And that makes me happy."

"Whatever," Misty muttered, obviously not in the mood for lighthearted banter. "Let's just go to the doctor and get this over with."

**XXX**

While Misty found the whole pregnancy situation to be embarrassing and a disappointment, she was glad to have Ash by her side, especially at this first appointment.

There was still a part of her that felt bad, knowing that Ash might not actually be the one who had gotten her pregnant. She didn't want to string him along, and although he had promised that he wasn't mad at her, Misty couldn't fight the fear that Ash might just leave her behind. Especially if it turned out the baby wasn't his. He was the Kanto champion, after all, and a story like this would get him eaten alive.

_I don't want to ruin Ash's career…this has been his dream for so long. I just have to accept that I was only part of that dream for a short time, and that time is over. This baby and I don't exactly have a place in his ideal life._

Misty was snapped out of her thoughts as the door to the examination room opened up, revealing a middle aged woman with a big smile on her face. When she saw Ash, an obvious look of surprise crossed her face, which was then transferred over to Misty.

"I didn't know you two were back together," the physician remarked.

Ash opened his mouth to respond, but Misty managed to reply first with a quick and final, "we're not together."

The doctor seemed embarrassed for her sudden comment. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry! I didn't mean to make things awkward…"

Misty smiled softly at the woman and shook her head. "Don't worry about it. It's understandable, considering where we are right now."

"Right," the doctor laughed nervously. "Well, no matter, I'm not here to judge you or tell you what to do with yourselves. I'm here to keep tabs on your health and your baby's! I'm Dr. Leon."

Throughout the entire examination, Ash just stared at Misty with a slight look of hurt on his face. She had been so quick to blurt out that they were not together, which he supposed _was_ the truth at the moment. But why didn't she have to think about it? It was almost as though she thought there was no chance of them ever getting together again. And that hurt Ash in the worst possible way. The longer he spent with Misty, the more he wanted them to go back to the way they were. Before she broke up with him and instead got together with that horrible-

"Would you like to see your baby for the first time?"

Ash blinked and looked at the doctor, who was shifting her own gaze between both him and Misty. She wasn't responding, so Ash decided to give her a little poke in order to push her in the right direction.

"I think that's up to Misty," Ash spoke, causing her to stare confusedly at him. "Right, Misty? _You _should be the one to decide if _you_ want to see the baby."

Misty frowned and slightly hung her head, much to the bewilderment of Dr. Leon. "Yeah, I guess I'd like to see it."

Despite the lukewarm reception to what was usually the most exciting milestone for expecting parents, Dr. Leon proceeded with the ultrasound preparation. She had Misty lie down on the examination table and pull up her shirt, just so her stomach was exposed. Again, Ash nervously examined it, and concluded that her midsection looked just as toned as usual. Unless there was something he was missing. Her bare midriff was soon coated in a special gel that made Misty shiver. Instinctually, Ash touched her shoulder for comfort, but Misty quickly shrugged him off as her way of telling him she was fine. Dr. Leon took the wand to Misty's stomach and ran it over until the screen that was standing in the corner came to life, apparently reflecting what was the inside of Misty's stomach.

"It looks like two pieces of pizza stuck together," Ash commented idly, causing the doctor to chuckle and Misty to roll her eyes. Despite that, however, she still had an endearing smile on her face.

"It's very small, because you're only about six weeks along, but I see your baby," Dr. Leon murmured. She pointed towards the bottom of the screen, and Misty narrowed her eyes to try and see it better. Ash leaned in, wanting to get a closer look as well. It took a few moments, but eventually, they both spotted the tiny, dark blob that Dr. Leon was pointing to. It literally looked like nothing more than a smudge, but it was a real baby. A tiny little person growing inside of Misty.

Ash wasn't sure how Misty was feeling at the moment, but he was absolutely struck. Any doubts or fears he had in his mind were completely washed away. Just staring at that little baby blob…Ash would do _anything _for it. Whether it was his blob or not. He had never felt this amount of love before, for a person he had never met. For a person who was barely even a _person _at this point.

It was crazy, but Ash knew it was true. The tears pooling in his eyes seemed to prove that theory enough.

He came back down to reality as soon as the screen flickered off. Ash gasped softly and turned his head to stare at Misty. She was wearing a blank expression on her face, which concerned him. She certainly didn't seem to be as enamored as he was. And the baby was without a doubt hers! Ash assumed she must have just been really overwhelmed was all.

"The baby is due in January," Dr. Leon informed the two as she cleaned off Misty's stomach. "So, just about seven and a half more months now! I'll see you again at the five month mark for another scan. But until then, here's a little something to tide you over."

She handed a photograph to Ash, who curiously raised it up to his face. It was the same image he had just been staring at on the screen: the inside of Misty's stomach with the little blob at the bottom. He grinned almost foolishly at it, happy to know that he'd still be able to see the baby without the use of the machine. With Misty all cleaned up and the examination complete, she and Ash were free to go. As they exited the office, Dr. Leon's words finally hit Ash, and he jumped in front of a startled Misty.

"What?" Misty bit.

"The baby is due in January, which means it was conceived in April," Ash explained.

"Yeah, so?"

"You and I slept together in April!" Ash exclaimed with a huge grin on his face. "That _must _mean that the baby is mine!"

Misty sighed and shook her head. "It's wishful thinking, but he and I slept together in April too. That means the baby has just as good of a chance of being his."

"Oh," Ash murmured, lowering his eyes to the ground. Misty started to walk past him, but Ash knew he couldn't just let her keep going without hearing him out. He grabbed her by the wrist, and panicked slightly when he felt Misty tremble beneath his hand. She relaxed after a second, however, and looked up at Ash with pitiful eyes.

"Wait," Ash begged, "let me explain, Misty."

Misty seemed genuinely confused by this. "Explain what, Ash?"

"When we got to see the baby on the…uh…ultrasound? Yeah, that. The ultrasound. I…I felt something, Misty. Something that I've never felt before. The closest feeling to what I just had is when I first realized that I…loved you."

Misty's entire face flashed red as she looked down once again. "So? What does that mean?"

"It means that I love the baby," Ash whispered, his own words sounding strange to him as they came out of his mouth. He took a step forward and pressed a flat hand against Misty's stomach, causing her to look up with widened eyes. "I love it, Misty. And I don't care if it's really mine or not. I know I said before that I wasn't ready to be a dad, but I'm going to try my best. I'm going to love and protect the baby no matter what. Even if it's another man's. I'm going to be the father no matter what."

Misty's bewildered expression finally melted into one of admiration as her lips bent into a delicate smile. "That's one of the sweetest things I've ever heard you say, Ash. I'm touched. That means a lot to me…it means everything to me, really. Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Ash replied quietly, giving Misty's stomach a gentle pat before pulling it away. He wanted to kiss her so badly, right there in the middle of the path, but he knew they weren't at that level yet. He wanted to be there, however, so he was going to work for it.

"You know we're going to have to tell our families about the baby."

Misty's voice caused Ash to look back up at her face. She was still wearing that delicate smile, but by now, it had grown to appear more worrisome.

"I guess you're right," Ash conceded. "But…who do we tell first?"

"Well, my parents aren't around anymore, and I'm not exactly in the mood to face my sisters at the moment," Misty replied, her eyes nervously scanning Ash's face. Neither one had very much family, so this left only one person on the list.

"I guess we're going to tell my mom first, then," Ash sighed.

"When?" Misty prodded.

"As soon as possible…the longer we wait, the more nervous I'm going to get."

**XXX**

When Ash showed up at the front door with Misty, Delia was more than surprised. She was shocked, in fact. But that didn't mean she wasn't happy to see the gym leader. Oh no. She was _ecstatic._

"It's so wonderful to see you again, Misty!" Delia all but squealed, engulfing the young woman in a tight hug. "Oh, you look so beautiful! You look wonderful!"

"Mom, come on, you don't have to fuss over her so much," Ash chuckled.

"Nonsense, I haven't seen her in what feels like forever!" Delia gasped at her son's suggestion. "I'm going to whip up a lovely dinner for all of us. I insist you eat right here, Misty!"

"Okay, sure thing," Misty giggled.

She and Ash sat on the couch and talked quietly amongst themselves while Delia cooked in the kitchen. She would occasionally listen in on the conversation in the next room, smiling whenever she heard Ash telling Misty about one of his adventures as champion, or Misty recanting an exciting battle she'd had at the gym. Pikachu, who has scurried downstairs as soon as he'd heard his trainer return, sat on Misty's lap and was scratched meticulously behind the ears by the young woman. Overall, it was a serene, near perfect picture.

By the time dinner was ready, Ash and Misty exchanged panicked looks. They hadn't exactly decided _when _to tell Delia the news, and neither one liked dragging it out. Ash, however, was afraid to tell his mother during dinner because, in his own words, "there'll be knives on the table."

"Oh Ash, your mother is _not _going to stab you," Misty sighed, getting to her feet and walking into the kitchen.

"You don't know that for sure!" Ash accused, following right behind Misty. "It's sort of a big deal…"

Pikachu had already bounded into the kitchen, hoping to sneak some food off of the table. The little mouse had really become quite the glutton lately. Misty blamed it on Ash and his love of food, but Ash refused to believe that was true.

Delia looked up at her son's former flame and smiled sheepishly at her. "Misty, I hope you like fish. I know some people can be a little bit picky, but-"

"You don't have to worry about a thing, Mrs. Ketchum," Misty giggled. "I'm not one of those people. I'll pretty much eat anything you put in front of me."

"Oh, wonderful!" Delia sighed, slinking down into her seat. Misty did the same, sitting down next to Ash who was already seated. She didn't even notice the mischievous smirk on her friend's face, not until he gently nudged her with his elbow, anyway.

"Was that before the pregnancy? Or is this a new thing?" Ash whispered cheekily as he leaned in to the young woman.

"Oh, who asked you," Misty huffed, pushing Ash away.

As soon as Delia placed the plate full of food in front of Misty, it took one whiff of the meal from the red head to cause her stomach to roll. Gasping, Misty winced and took in a deep breath, trying to calm her stomach. That deep breath in only seemed to make things worse, however, and eventually, Misty found that she had no choice but to push her chair away from the table and bound up the stairs without a single word to Ash, his mother, or even Pikachu, who was happily eating his own food down on the floor by Ash's chair.

"Oh my goodness," Delia breathed, gazing over her shoulder and up the stairs.

"Uh…I'd better go check on her," Ash murmured, trying to hide his sense of fear. He too got up from his chair and ran off in the same direction that Misty had. Pikachu, who was just as concerned as his trainer, followed after him without Ash's knowledge. Delia was worried as well, but she also had a strange feeling in her own stomach. As if telling her that something was up. So, pulling out from her own chair, Delia made her way up the stairs and walked to the bathroom, where she knew Misty must have gone.

Just as she'd been expecting, Delia found Misty sitting on the floor of the bathroom, with Ash kneeling down next to her and gently rubbing her back. Pikachu was peering in from the doorway, not wanting to be caught by his trainer who would surely get angry over being followed without consent. Delia, however, was not as worried as the electric type.

"Ash, Misty," Delia slowly questioned, her amber eyes flickering between the two, "what's going on?"

Ash and Misty exchanged nervous looks, leading Misty to frown and put her head down. Biting his lip, Ash glanced up at his mother with frightened eyes, softly informing her, "Mom…Misty is pregnant."

Delia sighed and ran a hand through her brown hair, muttering to herself, "I knew it." Lowering her hand, Delia eyed her son and asked him in a very serious tone, "Why wouldn't you use protection, young man? Didn't I teach you anything? And when did all of this happen? You and Misty have been apart for so long!"

Ash opened his mouth to reply, but just like before, Misty managed to cut him off. But this time, Ash was grateful for the intrusion.

"It's not what you think, Mrs. Ketchum. Ash and I saw each other six weeks ago. I went to him because I didn't know where else to go. That same night, my…now ex-boyfriend and I got into a really big fight. I was scared, so I turned to Ash. I didn't know what else to do."

Delia's expression turned to one of sympathy. "What kind of argument, Misty? Please don't tell me it was violent."

Misty closed her eyes and nodded. Delia frowned and instantly felt a sense of guilt wash over her. She knew it was near impossible, but Delia wished she had known this sooner and found a way to stop it. After all, Misty was practically her daughter. And apparently, she'd gotten caught in a very bad situation.

"I don't know if the baby is really Ash's," Misty continued, causing Delia's eyes to widen. "It could be…his. But I can't go back to him, because I'm so afraid."

Gripping Misty's shoulders, Ash once again looked up at his mother and added, "I promised I would protect her and the baby, Mom. I know I'm young…we're both young, but-"

"You don't need to explain anything to me, dear," Delia gently cut him off. Ash and Misty both seemed surprised, which earned a small but genuine smile from the older woman. "I was even younger than the both of you when Ash was born. So who am I to judge you? Besides, I refuse to let anyone lay a hand on you, Misty. And I refuse to let anyone lay a hand on what may possibly be my very first grandchild. You two will both stay here, with me, where it's safe. And I'll take care of you, Misty. Don't you worry about a thing."

Misty stood up and rubbed her eyes, letting out a small snivel as Delia wrapped her arms around her in a loving and protective fashion. Peering around the younger woman's body, Delia eyed her son _very _cautiously, silently warning him that he'd better keep his promise to Misty.

In response, Ash gave his mother a determined look and a single, solemn nod.

* * *

**Yes, the "other guy" is still a mystery. Why? Because I like to drum up suspense and keep you all waiting ;) **

**So, like I said, I hope you can all forgive me for not updating in so long. I'm hoping to change that! I'll be working more vigorously on this story...I just needed to find my muse for it again. And I did!**

**So, I'll see you all next time! :D**


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